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Backup · head to head

Altaro VM Backup vs Bacula

Altaro VM Backup logo

Altaro VM Backup

Backup

Simple and powerful VM backup for SMBs

From
$595/perpetual
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Bacula logo

Bacula

Backup

The best open source backup software for Linux

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Bacula has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Altaro VM Backup limited to small and medium-market businesses with up to 50 host servers; Bacula the community edition has no vendor support contract; bacula.org directs support and paid deployments toward the separate commercial Bacula Enterprise product instead.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Altaro VM Backup and Bacula actually diverge.

Attributes where Altaro VM Backup and Bacula differ
AttributeAltaro VM BackupBacula
Starting price$595/perpetualFree
Pricing modelUnknownopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows ServerWeb
Founded2009Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Backup).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Altaro VM Backup

  • Augmented inline dedup
  • WAN-optimized replication
  • Boot from backup
  • Granular restore
  • Cloud management
  • Continuous CDP
  • VMware
  • Hyper-V

Only in Bacula

Nothing recorded that Altaro VM Backup does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Altaro VM Backup

  • Data protectionnot Bacula
  • Disaster recoverynot Bacula
  • Business continuitynot Bacula
  • Ransomware protectionnot Bacula
  • Compliancenot Bacula

Bacula

  • Linux, Windows, and macOS network backup at scalenot Altaro VM Backup
  • VMware, KVM, Hyper-V virtual machine backupnot Altaro VM Backup
  • MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL database backupnot Altaro VM Backup
  • Microsoft Exchange Server backupnot Altaro VM Backup
  • Tape backup and enterprise data retentionnot Altaro VM Backup

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Altaro VM Backup

  • Limited to small and medium-market businesses with up to 50 host servers
  • Perpetual license model outdated compared to modern cloud-based backup solutions
  • Lacks enterprise-grade features for large-scale deployments
  • Offsite backup to cloud requires additional setup and configuration

Bacula

  • The community edition has no vendor support contract; bacula.org directs support and paid deployments toward the separate commercial Bacula Enterprise product instead.

Pricing, plan by plan

Altaro VM Backup

$595/perpetual

No published plan breakdown. See the Altaro VM Backup review.

Bacula

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Bacula review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Altaro VM Backup if

  • You need augmented inline dedup.
  • You work on Windows Server.
  • You also want wan-optimized replication.
Altaro VM Backup review

Choose Bacula if

  • You want to start without paying.
Bacula review

Questions people ask

Is Altaro VM Backup or Bacula better?
Neither clearly leads. Altaro VM Backup starts at $595/perpetual and Bacula at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Altaro VM Backup or Bacula?
Bacula has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $595/perpetual for Altaro VM Backup and Free for Bacula.
Does Altaro VM Backup or Bacula run on more platforms?
Altaro VM Backup runs on Windows Server. Bacula runs on Web.
Can I use Bacula for free?
Yes. Bacula has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Altaro VM Backup starts at $595/perpetual.
What is Altaro VM Backup best used for?
Altaro VM Backup is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection. Of those, data protection and disaster recovery are not what Bacula is typically brought in for.
What can Altaro VM Backup do that Bacula cannot?
Altaro VM Backup covers Augmented inline dedup, WAN-optimized replication, Boot from backup, Granular restore.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Altaro VM Backup: What is the price per host for Altaro VM Backup?

Altaro VM Backup pricing starts at $595 per host for the Standard Edition, with the Unlimited Edition at $695 per host and Unlimited Plus at $875 per host. Pricing includes the first year of priority support and updates.

Source
Bacula: How much does Bacula cost?

Bacula Community Edition is free and open source. Bacula Enterprise is a commercial offering with a free trial available, but specific pricing is not listed on the main website.

Source
Bacula: Is Bacula free?

Bacula Community Edition is fully free and open source. Enterprise Edition is commercial but offers a free trial to evaluate features before purchasing.

Source
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